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I can't help but wonder if this opens up a niche in the marketplace for a social networking site that actually does respect your privacy.

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The real question is: could such a site be profitable and respect your privacy?

The marginal costs are pretty small. It could easily be handled by a site with an emphasis on simplicity like Craigslist.

Personally, I would prefer a non-profit. I can't stand a private company like Facebook being the primary gateway to my social life. I would like to see multiple companies involved, but it would be a lot more difficult to get the network benefits of Facebook with multiple sites.

A couple of years ago when FB first started causing privacy concerns, I sketched out a model for a freemium social networking site with user privacy as the top selling point. After deciding it was too early for the target market to consist of anything but Slashdot posters, I forgot about it.

Is it time to think about it again, or is it just Slashdot and HN posters this time?

It would be fiscally irresponsible for an established, free-of-charge web site not to sell your privacy to the highest bidder.

The solution is to not rely on "sites" -- to not give them the opportunity to act as corporations must.

My take on it is http://wingolog.org/archives/2010/04/10/towards-a-gnu-autono... , but there are other takes to be had.

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